Sighting ethanol production at record-breaking lows and two ADM plants in Nebraska and Iowa going offline, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor has called for relief for ethanol producers.
“While a great deal of uncertainty still remains, we will continue to work with our state and congressional champions who are working to secure immediate relief that will keep this highly-skilled workforce intact so we will be ready to bounce back and fuel rural America’s economic recovery,” she said. “With plans to support the oil and gas industry already underway, it’s vital that policymakers give the same consideration to biofuel workers and farmers equally impacted by disruptions to the motor fuel market.”
The plants, located in Columbus, NE and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have furloughed employees to focus on cash flows and diverting corn grind. Each plant has about 90 employee and roughly half of the industry is now offline.
“Ethanol producers represent the heart of the rural economy, and when they are forced offline, the ripple effect can be felt across the agricultural supply chain - from farmers without a market for their crops to meatpackers and ranchers that rely on local ethanol plants for animal feed and carbon dioxide,” Skor said.
Ethanol production hit a record-breaking low for the third consecutive week, while stockpiles have hit a record-breaking high.
“We urge policymakers to act swiftly,” Skor said. “We have endured downturns before, and we will again, because there is no challenge greater than the resiliency, endurance, and ingenuity of our producers and farm partners.”